1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to outdoor cooking devices that are fueled with gaseous fuel (e.g. propane, butane) and more particularly to an improved outdoor cooking device that can be used in a number of different cooking situations including boiling, steaming, and with water or oil as a cooking medium. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to an improved cooking apparatus that has a specially shaped pot and one or more food holding inserts that can optionally be placed inside the pot. The inserts can include a specially configured insert can hold one or more entire poultry carcasses (e.g. turkey, chicken, etc.).
2. General Background of the Invention
A number of outdoor cookers have been sold commercially for a number of years and are admitted as “prior art” type burners. These “prior art” burners have traditionally included a metallic frame that supports a burner nozzle, such as a cast iron burner nozzle. Such burner nozzles are commercially available and are used to fire most natural gas fired hot water heaters. Examples of these prior art type outdoor cooking devices can be seen in the brochure of Metal Fusion, Inc., of Jefferson, La. and at the website www.kingkooker.com.
Patents have issued naming Norman Bourgeois as inventor that relate to burners and related cooking apparatus. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,735 for a “Convertible Burner Apparatus” that features different primary burner frames and legs that can elevate the burner frames. Other Bourgeois patents that relate to cooking devices include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,813,321; 5,970,852; and 6,058,830; 6,314,869; 6,439,107; 6,698,335; 6,957,649; and 6,964,273, each said Bourgeois patent hereby incorporated herein by reference.
For a combination cooking arrangement that includes a burner, pot and liner, the user typically places the poultry item in the basket and lowers it into boiling oil using a bail. In the prior art, bails have often been detachable from the basket so that the user can lower the basket into the pot and the contained boiling oil and then remove the handle or bail therefrom. This allows the user to eliminate the transfer of heat from the basket to the handle during the elongated cooking process.
A number of patents have issued that relate to cooking devices and utensils for use in combination with cooking vessels. The Walker U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,135 provides a utensil assembly and kit including same for cooking vessels used in preparing and supporting combustibles above the bottom of the cooking vessel and away from its inner walls. The utensil kit comprises a base supported above the bottom of the cooking vessel, a plurality of support attachments separately detachable and interchangeably mountable on the base for supporting selected combustible products, and releasable latch mechanism having two parts, one part disposed on the base, and the other part is disposed on each of the support attachments for engaging the base. One of the utensils is a poultry support attachment that fits inside the cavity of a chicken or other poultry enabling it to be positioned upright.
The Rappaport U.S. Pat. No. 3,053,169, discloses a poultry supporting device that sits upon a base in the form of a pan.
A rotisserie cooking arrangement is disclosed in the French Patent 2685862.
A roasting support for fowl is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,642. The apparatus includes a longitudinally extending rod that extends through the center of the turkey having an eyelet at its upper end.
A roaster for poultry and meat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,301,602. The apparatus includes a vertical roasting apparatus wherein a predetermined amount of liquid for generating the moisture required to produce a high quality and flavorful roasting of the meat is included in a reservoir formed within the support structure itself and disposed internally of the poultry or meat being roasted.
A vertical spit for displaying roasting or warming is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,442,999.
A combination outdoor cooker and smoker is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,531,154. The apparatus includes a cooker having a gas burner coupled to an external gas source through a control valve by a gas supply conduit.
An Austrian patent 217592 discloses a cooking device that has a central member upon which a turkey or chicken is supported during the cooking operation.
British patent 2205734A discloses a device for use in preparing and cooking kebabs that includes walls which are interconnected to define a tube member and into which a first end wall is slidably received to further reinforce the shape formed by the sidewalls and whose end position is determined by the engagement of lips projecting inwardly from the sidewalls. The sidewalls are appertured longitudinally for receiving a knife to cut food within the tube member.
Patents issued to Barbour (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,758,569 and 5,896,810) disclose a cooking apparatus directed to the frying of poultry items such as turkeys.
Various patents have issued for cooking vessels or pots. Examples include U.S. Pat. No. 1,276,749 entitled “Cooking Utensil.” A similar device can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,488,150 entitled “Steaming and Draining Vessel.”
A cooking rack is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,360,026. A combined cooker and steamer is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,555,720. An electrically heated boiler is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,859,505. The Lee U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,486 discloses a perforated inner pan that nests completely in a nonperforated open top pan. That U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,486 is entitled “Cooking Utensil.”
The McLemore U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,992 discloses a fryer, boiler and steamer cooking apparatus.
Another frying apparatus shown in the Johnston Patent 2005/0051035.
Design Patents D226,940, D237,578, and D402,155 disclose various cookers or fryers.